Probably No Shutdown, at Least This Week

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The House passed a government funding bill Thursday to keep the doors open for a few more weeks, and the Senate is expected to approve the measure as soon as tonight.

Earlier in the day, the Big Four congressional leaders – House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – met with President Trump to discuss a budget deal for 2018. “We are here in the spirit of, ‘let’s get it done,’” Schumer said.

The vote gives Congress two more weeks to negotiate a budget. Lawmakers staked out their positions as the vote neared, with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program still a clear point of contention.

Nancy Pelosi vowed that she would not leave Washington without a DACA deal, which could become an issue if an immigration measure is tied to the budget agreement. House Freedom Caucus leader Mark Meadows said he would resist such a move: “If DACA gets attached to the spending bill, there will be major, major pushback,” Meadows said.

The new shutdown deadline is Friday, December 22, the Friday before Christmas.